Brandon Smith of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society

Tobin Bennison

Article Category: 20 Questions 1 Comment

Brandon Smith of the Sea Turtle Preservation Society

Indialantic’s Sea Turtle Preservation Society was formed in the ’80s by a group of citizens concerned about sea turtles and the threats they face.

With “Helping Sea Turtles Survive” as their motto, STPS boasts some 600 members, 13 board members, and a team of over 100 active volunteers who are directly involved in the preservation and rescue of sick and injured turtles. “We also help increase scientific knowledge by collecting nesting data in Cocoa Beach,” says STPS Media Relations Chair Brandon Smith, who first began volunteering with the Society while a student at FIT. “But most importantly,” Smith adds, “we try to educate others so that their actions help to conserve sea turtles.”

One of Smith’s college friends who was doing sea turtle research took him to his first STPS meeting in 1996. “I attended meetings when I could, and then after a few years started volunteering on a regular basis. I first started with conducting morning nest surveys. After a year of that, I added evening educational sea turtle walks to my activities.”

“I started off knowing nothing about sea turtles when I first joined,” Smith tells us. “Through the shared knowledge of volunteers, trainings, and my own reading and research I’ve gained a fairly large knowledge of sea turtles. …Though I do end up learning new things all the time.”

This September 18 sees the 2010 STPS Turtle Krawl, a 5K walk/run to help support the Society’s activities and endeavors. As sea turtle nesting season continues until October 31 — and not, as we erroneously reported last month, October 1 — we thought it a good time to speak with Smith and brush up on our sea turtle knowledge.

How has this nesting season gone this far? Any incidents or issues?

The final numbers are not in, though it seems like we are having more turtles this year than in years past. This is a great thing, as the loggerhead nesting numbers had been declining for nearly the last decade. Hopefully the increasing trend will continue. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a higher instance of human activity and disturbance. During one of our educational turtle walks this summer we encountered over 50 people within a mile stretch of beach. Most were actively searching for sea turtles — many of them approaching the turtles, which is illegal without proper permits, and scaring them back into the water. We’ve also had many instances of large holes dug on the beach that can trap sea turtles.

Tell us a story from your time working with the Society to help educate readers about what does happen when these creatures’ environments aren’t respected.

Unfortunately, we have encountered too many instances of people interfering with sea turtles. On the majority of our educational turtle walks we find someone scaring turtles off with flashlights or by walking up to them. During one of this summer’s nesting surveys, we encountered an abandoned nest, uncovered and half full of eggs, where the turtle left due to a couple pouring water on it, to try to cool it down. There was also in instance last year where a large female died after falling into one of the large holes some beachgoers had dug on the beach the day before. We also can usually fill a shopping bag or two of trash each time we visit the beach. Through volunteering with a Florida Fish and Wildlife research study I’ve seen firsthand how this trash effects the turtles. We looked at the stomach contents of young turtles that washed ashore dead. A majority of them had bits of plastic in their digestive tract. Many with enough to plug up their stomachs or cut through their intestines.

Most longtime Residents seem pretty aware of turtle safety and nesting guidelines, but is there something you think people still aren’t getting?

We know many residents try to respect turtles, and I’m impressed with how dark our beaches have gotten since I first started volunteering. However, the thing people need to most understand is that it is not okay to approach nesting sea turtles. We hear people tell us all the time, “I’ve lived here 30 years, so I can do this,” or “I know what I’m doing, so it’s O.K.” Without a permit from FWC and USFWS, it is illegal to approach and/or disturb a nesting sea turtle. If they want to see nesting turtles, they should join one of the numerous educational sea turtle walks held by either STPS or other organizations in the County — Sebastian Inlet, Canaveral National Seashore, or the Barrier Island Center. Another easy thing for people to do to help sea turtles that they may not realize is to choose sustainable seafood when shopping or dining out. Seafood that has been harvested in ways to reduce or eliminate sea turtle mortality can greatly enhance their populations. The STPS office carries Seafood Watch wallet cards that can help people make informed decisions about the seafood they purchase.

What are some of the more widespread misconceptions about sea turtles?

They do not go into a trance when nesting. People think they can approach a turtle once it is laying eggs because it is “in a trance.” The turtle can still abandon its nest if it feels frightened. I’ve actually seen a turtle that kept dropping eggs down the beach to the water as it tried to flee from people who disturbed it.

Have you seen any direct or indirect effects from the Gulf Oil Spill?

We have not seen any oil spill results yet. Though we may not see sheets of oil on the beach, I suspect we will have an increase in the number of tar balls for years to come. The balls collect in the same currents that the young turtles grow up in. They will often ingest them thinking they might be food.

Do you think sea turtles are safer than they were 20 years ago or more in danger?

Sea turtles definitely have more protections in place than they did 20 years ago. I’d hope people are also more aware of their struggles to survive. However, they face greater habitat loss and disturbance due to higher populations along our coastal areas. The increase in trash floating in the oceans can also cause more problems for foraging sea turtles.

What does the future hold for sea turtles, both locally and worldwide?

The sea turtle’s future is uncertain. While we have made advances in areas locally, these animals are world travelers. We can protect them here on their nesting grounds, but if they don’t face the same protection on their feeding grounds in another country, our efforts here are in vain. Sea turtles need greater international protection to limit death due to bycatch and eliminate direct trade in sea turtle products.

Tell us about the Turtle Krawl. What can people expect for the day?

It’s a 5K walk/run to help support STPS sea turtle activities. People who participate will get a tech shirt with beautiful artwork from local artist Nemo. They also receive a reusable canvas tote as part of their race packet. Medals with Nemo’s artwork will be awarded to 108 participants in various categories. There is breakfast provided after the run. Also, following the race will be a free children’s run. This is the first year STPS has held the Turtle Krawl. Previously, it was held by Brevard County Parks and Recreation. This is also the first year it has been a sanctioned run. Previously it was a “fun run.” So the numbers we expect are up in the air since the dynamic of the run has changed, though we are hoping for somewhere in the vicinity of 300 runners. People can register for the event by going to: www.turtlekrawl.com

The Society takes part in many other fundraising events and outreach activities. Tell us about some of those.

We conduct educational presentations throughout the year for schools and various private groups. We also attend and talk turtle at many local festivals such as the Pelican Island Festival, Melbourne Beach Founders Day, and many others. In addition, we have host speakers at our general membership meetings. Those meetings are held the first Thursday of each month in the community room in Melbourne Beach. These are free and open to the general public.

What other organizations does the Society work with?

Because we deal with endangered species, we work closely with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to keep current on our permits and rules and regulations regarding sea turtles. We also work with the UCF sea turtle survey teams and help to keep each other informed on turtle activities on our area beaches. There are many other organizations we deal with throughout the year. The sea turtle community is a rather close-knit group, so you end up working and sharing resources with many organizations.

What are some other STPS events in the offing?

STPS will be a strong presence to help protect sea turtles as long as they need it. We will continue to educate residents and visitors to our county and we hope to continue Turtle Krawl as an annual event. We are also in the planning stages of a Sustainable Seafood Night where people can sample sustainable seafood dishes from restaurants around Brevard. It will be an effort to increase awareness on the power people have to influence seafood locally and, in turn, protect sea turtles and other marine resources globally.

How does one become part of the Society?

To become a member, people can submit membership dues at or office in Indialantic or go online to www.seaturtlespacecoast.org to download forms to mail in or you pay directly via PayPal. Those who wish to volunteer must attend some basic turtle training called “Turtle 101.” Then they must attend training specific to the activities they wish to be involved in.

Visit the Sea Turtle Preservation Socety online at: www.seaturtlespacecoast.org. The 2010 Turtle Krawl will be held on September 18 at Nance Park in Indialantic at 7:30 a.m. To learn more and to register, visit www.turtlekrawl.com

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